John Galliano's sneakers - absolutely ugly, but fabulous

Paris

SHALL we just stop pretending? Sneakers are the only shoes that seem to rattle designers out of their torpor. They are the only shoes that have shoppers standing in line overnight like they're on the dole and the last bit of government cheese will be gone by lunchtime. Sneakers are ground zero for collaborations. They are the sun around which streetwear - and pretty much everything else - revolves.

When people talk about designer shoes, rarely are they discussing some particular captivating mule, pump, loafer or bootie. They're talking about sneakers bearing names such as Balenciaga, Saint Laurent or Nike x fill-in-the-blank. It used to be that sneakers were a menswear thing. And while there is still a market for sexy shoes and artful sculptures masquerading as footwear, womenswear designers have increasingly included some delectable rubber-soled footwear in their collections.